Monday, 1 July 2013

This fabric is a bit unusual. Viscose jersey with a lovely silky feel. The stripe looks like rainy windows and I love it. (particularly the chevron on my back, I didn't realise that would happen. bias bonus!!) I bought it from jacks fabrics in Leeds market. See also previous posts fish based fabric......

It sewed up really easily and gathered well, which was key, see title.

I made the extra large. Yes drape drape says I am extra large. Not stopped me eating copious quantities of minstrels but did concern me for a second or two and I think the jersey and drapery suits and emphasises curves, so I am not sure what they were thinking not doing an English version with English sizes......maybe they will, given time....

I also lengthened the bodice by 3" so that i got a drop waist. I held the paper pattern up to get an idea for that....I left out the zip because this is stretchy.

The tracing of the pattern was the most difficult bit of this. I like tracing a Burda pattern though so I was game. I like to wait till I am home alone, spread the paper out on the lounge floor, put coronation street on and swear like a sailor at the paper and the cat. Plus I secretly like the challenge and the confusion of a missed marking or 2....maybe I need to get out more? Maybe.

I used baking paper to trace it onto and a felt tip to make the lines. (I don't bake, my husband does. I think he secretly likes it when I use the last scraps of that paper and don't tell him. ) I mark the gathers and pleats with pins and snips in the seam lines.

I will make this again because I think it looks quite cool, and it is very easy and comfy to wear. I will do a facing though rather than a hem on the neck, because the back of the neck does flip out a little bit and looks a bit scruffy inside.

I like all the things in the drape drape books, nice to look at, a bit of a learning experience to make and helps with motivation if you are on a diet. now where are those minstrels.....

I love the new summer mccalls collection, loads of things that look quick and easy to sew, but also quick and easy to throw on in a morning, ie non iron. I only like to iron, sorry, press -ahem, when I sew. Win win.

I love these dresses.....

The first one is like a wrap dress, with a really loose top and nice skirt...I just cut a 16 at the top, 14 waist and skirt. I didn't lengthen the bodice. I should have, but I was rushing to start and finish.

I didn't need to rush as it turned out because it only took me an evening....and I am slow to sew!

Inside wise, this baby isn't perfect. Not mccalls fault, mine. I was in that rush you see. Anyway if no one can tell it isn't perfect from a meter away, I have put a couple of stitches in the wrap front to ensure no gaping and protect the public and I'm good to go.

The fabric is jersey from Fabworks in dewsbury. If anyone lives in yorkshire they need to go to Fabworks. It is massive and reasonably priced and the ladies are actually amazing. But set time aside, it is huge.

I think the aforementioned looseness makes me look a bit top heavy, Anyway the lack of need to iron means I will wear this a lot this summertime. I might make another, graded down a size at the top and lengthen in the body a couple of inches....( I am 5'10, so I have to lengthen bodices by 2" usually.)

what have I seen?

This one is the other version of the same pattern, a loose cowl neck with - I think they are called this - dolman sleeves.
It makes me look like I have wide shoulders. Actually I do have wide shoulders, so the dress don't lie. I wont make it again though. plus I think it looks better with a belt to break up the print.

I lengthened this one and cut a 14 all over. I also just measured the elastic round my waist, I think it prefer it with less ease than Mccalls do.

Hmmm the print, I saw it for £2 per meter at jacks fabrics in Leeds market, I bought it because it was feathered. When I got it home I realised it wasn't feathers it was fly fishing equipment, including hooks, and fish (pike maybe). I am not sure what the purpose of it was when the designer made these decisions: was it for fly fishermens t shirts/underpants? was it sold in fly fishermans shops or was it sold in fly fishermans wives shops, so that they could sew it up for the man? any hooo I like the reaction when I wear it....usually "nice dress, I like the feather fabric", "wait is that fly fish hooks?" Yes it is.

Sunday, 23 June 2013

I have a girl crush on Elisalex, the pattern not the person, never met the person, although I would probably have a crush on her too if I did, she looks hot on her blog...any how's

The pattern is pretty, the instructions are cute, the results make me feel damned sexy, even though I mainly just wear them to the market.....grrrr....

Again, the shoulder is very droopy, how have I got by for so many years not knowing of the droopy shoulder?

Anyway the skirt you may note is not the original skirt, half circle was done by some other bloggers, my lurking lead me to think that the half circle would be best on the drapey fabric. The bodice fit straight out of the box, I cut the 16 for the busters and graded it to a 12 at the waist (maybe I went to far looking at the wrinkles in the pictures, it feels snug, but in a good way, like it is holding all the stuff in nice and tight.)

Can we talk about the fabric? The turquoise is ponte from truro fabrics, it is great, no bobbles and I do wear and wash it often, and the colour is perfect, no? Service is great there too I use their lining which seems good if a bit pricey.

......and then there was the liberty fabric....the story goes something like....hmm I have a sewing machine, wouldn't it be nice if I made some Christmas pressies for my nearest and dearest, liberty scarves and ties from the purl bees blog www.purlbee.com (yes I am a lurker, I did say I think). then step 2 was the purchase of liberty fabric, in stepped (CLICK AT YOUR WALLETS PERIL)www.shaukat.co.uk and maybe a couple of extra meters of Denise Eva made it accidentally into the shopping basket. oops I thought when she arrived, maybe I should send her back. what? they don't do returns once cut? I have to use her all selfishly? in a selfish half circle Elisalex? sometimes life conspires against me I swear.

Behold the Party Frock!! check out her drape. check our her tiny curvaceous waist. check out her winter floral on trend (I live in Yorkshire it is still winter till August). Crush!

I love lurking on other people's blogs.....so much so that I decided to start my own!

I have been learning to sew for the past year, I do a millinery class at leeds college of art and try to sew a little bit every day with my sewing machine, not always well, not always stress relieving, but quite compelling.

A whistle stop tour of the process so far would be cushions, mainly because I thought I could only sew in a straight line. The cat quite likes them.....

Then I progressed to the Peony from collette, which was a mistake for someone who could only sew straight lines and didn't know what a full bust adjustment was never mind how to execute one....the 2 trial efforts were each worn once (i have to wear even horrible things once, if only to reming myself not to do it again) and then went to the big oxfam in the sky. Hence no pictures, and you wouldn't have wanted to see....
I do love the pattern though and will revisit now I have a pattern master ruler and a concept of how to fit the paper pattern to the busters....

Then came burda 9/12 shift dress....confidence restored! Love it and wear the cord one often, the silk one not so much because it is fancy......I like fancy .... I once knew a mule called Fancy, maybe a story for another day.